FEATURED BOOK OF THE MONTH LAUNCHED

Looking for interesting new books now that the holidays are over? January 1 marked the debut of our new year-long "Featured Book of the Month" program. The featured title for January is The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid, Bill Bryson's delightful memoir of his childhood in Iowa in the 1950s.

In conjunction with the program, we've launched our Featured Book of the Month blog. The blog—which is updated every week with new content—includes background information about each month's featured title and the author, some discussion questions, and related reading lists. And of course, since it's a blog, this gives you the opportunity to share your thoughts and opinions about the book with other blog readers. So what are you waiting for? Jump into the conversation!

ON THE SAME PAGE 2009

You are invited to join On the Same Page, Cincinnati's 8th annual community reading program February 8—March 31. Our selection for adult readers is The Soloist: A Lost Dream, an Unlikely Friendship, and the Redemptive Power of Music, by Steve Lopez. This 2008 nonfiction title is based on LA Times columnist Lopez's newspaper articles about musician Nathaniel Anthony Ayers, whom he met on LA's Skid Row. Ayers studied at Juilliard before developing schizophrenia and spending decades on the streets. The book is an inspiring story of music and friendship, as well as a compelling examination of homelessness, mental illness, public policy, and race in America. Reviewers have named The Soloist one of the best books of 2008. You can learn more about the book at the author's official website.

The On the Same Page Launch and Reception, featuring a talk and book signing by author Steve Lopez, musical performances by the College Conservatory of Music, refreshments from Panera Bread, and an information fair with community organizations serving people who have mental illnesses or are homeless will be held on Sunday, February 8 from 2:00-4:00 p.m. at the Main Library.

eBOOK DOWNLOADS FOR MAC USERS

A Mac compatible version of Overdrive Media Console, the free software that is used to download and manage digital audio books from the Ohio eBook Project, became available in December. Mac users can listen to downloaded MP3 audio books on their computer, transfer titles to Apple devices using the built-in Transfer Wizard, or burn audio books to CD (where permissions allow). The OverDrive Media Console for Mac also offers a number of other handy features, including Parts and MediaMarkers, skip back 15 seconds, resume from furthest played point, and bookmarking. The software has built-in organization, allowing patrons to easily find downloaded titles grouped by author, title, and subject.