Write a Winning Resume

Don't miss experts from the Montgomery County Job Center as they present "How to Write a Powerful Resume" at 7:00 PM, June 15 at the Belmont branch. This interactive session shows you the what, where, why, and how of resumes. After you get the concepts down, reserve a session at a library PC to write your resume with Winway resume writing software. The library has recently purchases this program which guides you through the resume writing process with a wizard, Autowriter, Resume Auditor, and many other excellent tools. The software also allows you to customize the appearance of your resume with a wide selection of graphical themes. Winway is available for your use free of charge.

Two Similarly Strange and Entertaining Novels

The Unknown Knowns by Jeffrey Rotter and The Great Perhaps by Joe Meno are both stories of characters pursuing equally strange obsessions in unsuccessful attempts to ignore the complexities of their everyday lives. Jim Rath, the protagonist in The Unknown Knowns, dreams of building a museum dedicated to the Aquatic Ape Theory of Human Evolution. While performing underwater experiments at a hotel pool, Jim mistakes a low level Homeland Security agent for an emissary from a lost aquatic race known as Nautikons. Knowing that a living Nautikon would be a great attraction at his museum, Jim follows the agent from hotel to hotel until the story climaxes with an absurd showdown at a dilapidated water park.

In a similar tale of underwater obsession, The Great Perhaps tells the story of Jonathan Casper, head of the odd and crumbling Casper family. While focusing all his energy on searching in vain for a prehistoric giant squid, Jonathan effectively ignores the dysfunction surrounding him, which includes his wife’s failing academic career, his oldest daughter’s first attempts at becoming a teenage revolutionary and his youngest daughter’s wayward search for God. Like The Unknown Knowns, Joe Meno’s The Great Perhaps deftly mixes the absurd with the everyday to create a compelling and humorous novel.

-- Joe, Main Library

Everyone Against Everyone!

German thrash metal masters Kreator toured recently to support their new release, Hordes of Chaos. Their show on a recent Thursday night in Louisville, KY did not disappoint. Opening band Warbringer was outstanding as well, but you get the feeling they are attending a "Thrash 101" clinic when Kreator begins their set. This is the twelfth studio album from Kreator and its critical reception has been quite good. If you came to metal with the early 80s thrash explosion, you will love this record. As great as some of today's non-extreme metal (Lamb of God) is, or as much as you might love death metal or black metal, thrash came first and, if you've been around long enough, you might be tempted to exclaim "that's what I mean when I say metal!" upon the wave of intensity that flows over you as Hordes of Chaos unleashes itself through your speakers.

65th Anniversary of D-Day

Today marks the 65th anniversary of the Allied invasion of Normandy. President Obama paid tribute recently to the 215,000 Allied soldiers who were killed or wounded during D-Day and the following three months it took to secure the Allied capture of Normandy. Here at the Main Library, there is a book display that pays tribute to the Allied invasion of Normandy 65 years ago. The display is located directly in front of the World War II history books. Titles featured on the D-Day display include works from noted historians Stephen Ambrose, Max Hastings, and Martin Gilbert. We also have a large collection of books and DVDs on the Normandy Invasion by other historians.

--Jared, Main Library

The Spunky Librarian Checks In

It’s the very end of the school year and a lot of students are in a sweat to finish their last research paper. My latest student needed some basic population statistics for Puerto Rico along with some history & cultural information. For general information about countries, I like the CIA website. Yes, that’s the Central Intelligence Agency. They have a lot of up-to-date information provided in their country profiles. Then we have a source called Culturegrams which comes in a print as well as an online database version. We have a lot of other encyclopedias about different cultures around the world and we always have books about specific countries. This was all more than enough for a 3 page paper.

--That’s all for now.

BB, Main Library

The Best of Sci-Fi in 2008

About a month ago, the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America gathered in Los Angeles to present the annual Nebula Awards for books published in 2008. These books are nominated and voted on by all active members of the SFWA and, together with the Hugo awards, they are the major literary prize for the Science Fiction genre. This year's winner for Best Novel was Powers, by Ursula K. Le Guin. Here are the other nominees:

Little Brother, by Cory Doctorow

Cauldron, by Jack McDevitt


Brasyl, by Ian McDonald

Making Money, by Terry Pratchett

The Eco-Kitchen

Recipes from an ecological kitchen: healthy meals for you and your planet, by Lorna J. Sass.

More and more people are becoming cognizant of issues relating to the current ecological crisis. Many are adopting lifestyles based on the idea that we need to be responsible about how we use the resources on our planet. And, often they start by changing the way they eat. This book is a guide to making that change. The book begins with suggestions for your pantry. Information on beans, grains, nuts, dried fruits and dried herbs and spices is given. Proper storage is explained. Next, the book explains the use of wok cooking, pressure cooking and steaming. Twelve menus using recipes from the book follow. Recipe chapter topics include grains, rice, pasta, tofu, land and sea vegetables, sauces, dips, quick breads and desserts. The book ends with lists of books for further reading and a list of mail order sources.

-- Mary Ellen, Main Library