Books

Reigning cats & dogs at the libraries
[Jun. 28, 2006] Cats and dogs will be reigning at the Chatham County Public Libraries this week as the summer reading program continues. In addition to songs, skits, and games, children can enjoy meeting furry, four-legged volunteers from Chatham Animal Rescue & Education, as well as care-taker Becky Norman. In addition, Pampered Pet Salon of Pittsboro will perform a "doggie make-over" on Friday. By Elizabeth Essen

Afghan story inspires Chatham art exhibit and auction
[Mar. 8, 2005] Paintings, drawings, photography, mosaic, textiles and metal sculpture based on the Afghan novel, “The Kite Runner,” are among 30 new works by Chatham County artists now on exhibit through March 30 in historic downtown Pittsboro. All pieces in the show will be sold through a silent auction at Fearrington Village on April 2.

Putting the community in 'Community Reads'
[Jan. 22, 2005] There are lots of reports about the death of “community” — you know, that thing, especially in the South, where everybody knows who your granddaddy was and what your kids did at the soccer game last night. And when somebody dies, they show up with fried chicken and salad, whether their granddaddy liked yours or not. For most people, this kind of community is a dim memory. By Marjorie Hudson
Also: Pittsboro Community Read Programs

How to Read a North Carolina Beach
[Sep. 14, 2004] What makes sea foam? What are those tiny sand volcanoes along the waterline? You'll find the answers to these questions and dozens more in the all-new comprehensive field guide to the state's beaches, How to Read a North Carolina Beach: Bubble Holes, Barking Sands, and Rippled Runnels. This all-new guidebook by author Orrin Pilkey shows visitors how to decipher the mysteries of the beach and interpret clues to an ever-changing geological story.
Also: NC Bookwatch

What’s a parent to do? Choosing the right book for your child.
[Aug. 30, 2004] When I’m having problems, I typically look for a book to find the answers. My son Jamie is two, so naturally I have five books on taming the terrible toddler. I know that over the past twenty years I’ve purchased at least 20 books (probably more) on the topic of losing weight – low carb, low fat, low calorie, hypnosis, you name it. If I weren’t happily married, I know I’d have a bookshelf full of books on the rules of getting a man, keeping a man, or how to get rid of one you didn’t want any more. By Adrienne Ehlert Bashista

Chatham sculptor Karen Tiede publishes Carve Smart
[Aug. 17, 2004] Chatham sculptor Karen Tiede has published Carve Smart: 100 Chainsaw Carvers from Around the World Answer Questions About Carving. Carve Smart addresses topics encountered by full- and part-time chainsaw carvers that are not covered in most step-by-step carving books: saws, bars and chain, wood and finishes, the carving business, a place to carve, skill, and ideas. It is a 190-page compilation of discussions shared on the CarvingPost.com forum over 2003.
Also: Carve Smart

Author John Dalton brings his journeys home
[Aug. 9, 2004] Author John Dalton brings his journeys home on North Carolina Bookwatch, Sunday, August 15, at 5 PM. Major novelists have already hailed Heaven Lake, the story of a young American's journey across China in search of love and revelation, as an extraordinary debut from author John Dalton.
Also: NC Bookwatch
Also: UNC TV

Author Lynn York explores scandal in a small southern town
[Aug. 2, 2004] Author Lynn York Explores Scandal in a Small Southern Town On North Carolina Bookwatch, Sunday, August 8, at 5 PM With a bevy of characters who have their share of mistakes and losses haunting them, author Lynn York's debut novel The Piano Teacher captures North Carolina small-town life with depth, quirky humor and intrigue.
Also: NC Bookwatch
Also: UNC TV

Author Sharyn McCrumb breathes new life into an old southern struggle
[Jul. 16, 2004] In an all-new episode of North Carolina Bookwatch, airing Sunday, July 18, at 5 PM on UNC-TV, critically-acclaimed author Sharyn McCrumb shares the Civil War chronicles set in the Southern mountains in her latest novel Ghost Riders. Her extraordinary tale reveals more about a war that was fought farm-to-farm, neighbor-to-neighbor in a part of the South that never wanted to leave the union.
Also: NC Book Watch
Also: UNC TV

Books about adoptions
[Jun. 4, 2004] About a year ago my husband and I decided to adopt a child from Russia. For Jacob, then four, this was just another way to add to our family. The thought of a ready-made little brother or sister was helping all of us, perhaps especially Jacob, heal from the late-term miscarriage we’d suffered that winter. He was excited. By Adrienne Ehlert Bashista

Picture Books to Love
[Feb. 28, 2004] To all of you have ever read a children’s picture book and said to yourself, ‘I can do that,’ I’m issuing a challenge: try it yourself. Once you do you will discover that picture book writing – that is, good picture book writing – is one of the hardest kinds of writing there is. I’ll admit that I’ve been guilty of making that foolish statement myself. The results weren’t pretty. By Adrienne Ehlert Bashista
Also: Book Talker

Former UNC basketball coach Dean Smith to sign new book at Fearrington
[Feb. 9, 2004] Coach Dean Smith and business guru Jerry Bell will sign copies of their new book The Carolina Way:Leadership Lessons from a Life in Coaching at McIntyre's Books in Fearrington Village on February 13. By Cowell, Rebekah

Honorable Mentions, part 1
[Feb. 9, 2004] The Newbery, Caldecott, Coretta Scott King, and Prinz awards are the most prestigious awards in the field of children’s literature. The various committees announced the winners for 2003 earlier this month. But there’s a whole host of other worthy books and authors that have been given honorable mentions for those awards. By Adrienne Ehlert Bashista
Also: Book Talker

Author events at Fearrington's McIntyre bookstore
[Jan. 29, 2004] Haven Kimmel will read from her new novel, Something Rising: Light and Swift in the Fearrington Barn and Blake Crouch will read from his new book Desert Places: A Novel of Terror. . By Rebekah Cowell