Free Comic Book Day - May 1st!

Started in 2002, Free Comic Book Day is a day when participating comic book stores across the U.S. and around the world give away comic books absolutely free to anyone who comes into their store. This year's Free Comic Book Day is Saturday, May 1st.

Some of this year's free comics include Iron Man, G.I. Joe, War of the Supermen, Shrek, Green Hornet #1, Toy Story, and Owly and Friends.

Hugh Jackman, star of X-Men Origins: Wolverine talks about Free Comic Book Day, and the importance of comics in fighting illiteracy.

For a list of participating comic book stores around you as well as the complete list of comics, visit the Free Comic Book Day website.

Music Streaming

Streaming music online is becoming a more popular way of listening to your favorite songs while away from your MP3 player or your music collection at home. Here are just a few of the great sites out there that let you stream music over the internet.

Grooveshark
Their layout is similar to iTunes--you can build your own playlists, mark your favorite songs, and share songs and playlists with other Grooveshark users, as well as friends on Facebook and Myspace.




Lala
This site's "Music Mover" software lets you sync your Lala account with the music on your computer, giving you access to your music collection from anywhere. You can listen to a song you don't own once for free, and then buy either unlimited online access or an MP3 download.



Last.fm
Last.fm offers the ability to create "radio stations" based on a particular artist or song and share music and pictures with other fans. Their most well-known feature is the ability for last.fm to generate a chart that lists your most recently played songs, which can be posted anywhere online.



Pandora

Like last.fm, Pandora lets users create radio stations based on an artist or song they already like, and then further customize that station by giving each song a thumbs up or thumbs down. Great for finding new music that is similar to your current interests.

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

Can you imagine what it would be like to relive one day over and over? In Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver, Sammy Kingston, spends a normal Friday at school, hangs out with friends, goes to a party, is involved in a car accident and wakes up the next morning to discover she's living the same day over again.

Through multiple times living that fateful Friday, Sammy learns a lot about her friends and family, but especially about herself. And each time is hopefully bringing her closer to ending the cycle...but what will that mean?

Meet the Author: D.J. MacHale

Here's your chance to meet bestselling author D.J. MacHale! Join us at the library on Tuesday, April 27 at 7 p.m. for a talk and signing. Well known for the popular Pendragon series, his newest series, Morpheus Road, is a supernatural thriller about the worlds of the living and the dead.

"In the first book, Morpheus Road: The Light, Marshall Seaver is being haunted. It begins with mysterious sounds, a fleeting face outside a window-all things that can be explained away. That is, until he comes face-to-face with a character who only exists on the pages of a sketchbook-a character Marshall himself created." (thanks to Boswell Books for the review)

Thanks to Boswell Books for coordinating this event with us. Copies of Morpheus Road: The Light will be available for purchase the night of the event.

Celebrate Earth Day!

Celebrate Earth Day by recycling something old into something fun!

Stop by the library on Tuesday, April 20 from 3:30-5 p.m. to create your own soda tab bracelet, decorate a CD suncatcher, make a candy wrapper/recycled paper bracelet, or design a pencil holder.

All materials will be provided, but feel free to bring your own candy wrappers for that project.

Happy Earth Day!

Bookmark Contest Winners

The winners of the 2010 Bookmark Design Contest have been announced! Stop by the library until April 23rd to see all the entries. And take home a winning bookmark! Bookmarks are available at the library information desks.

Thanks to everyone who participated!

New Audiobooks!

Here are some of the great AUDIOBOOKS we've added in the past few months. All are available on CD.

Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson
Going Bovine by Libba Bray
The Secret Life of Prince Charming by Deb Caletti
Heist Society by Ally Carter
Graceling by Kristin Cashore
Fire by Kristing Cashore
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
Carter Finally Gets It by Brent Crawford
Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen
Incarceron by Catherine Fisher
If I Stay by Gayle Forman
Newes from the Dead by Mary Hooper
The Everafter by Amy Huntley
Peace, Love, and Baby Ducks by Lauren Myracle
Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater
Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld

The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson

Lennie is devastated after the sudden death of her older sister. Her entire life she'd been the companion pony to Bailey's racehorse personality and now left on her own, Lennie isn't sure about her place in the world. When two very different guys become a part of Lennie's life, she has to deal with her overwhelming grief, understanding who she is, and the guilt she feels about finding happiness after Bailey's death.

Intermixed with Lennie's stunning poetry, a great cast of supporting characters, and beautiful and lyrical language, The Sky is Everywhere is a gripping story of grief and first love.

Twilight Saga...New Book!

The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner, a new book in the Twilight Saga will be released June 5! Check out Stephenie's site for more info, like how you can read it for free online and how it helped during the filming of Eclipse.

2010 MCTBA Winner!

The winner of the 2010 Milwaukee County Teen Book Award has been announced!

Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson

And the 2010 MCTBA Honor Titles:
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
(Teen Vote Winner)


If I Stay by Gayle Forman


Response by Paul Volponi

For more info about the MCTBA, including reviews of the winners and all the nominees, check out their website!