Going Solar Electric

A few months ago the library director sent me a link to a news story about Terry Carruthers from Long Hill, who built a "solar suitcase" for a school library in Tanzania. Thanks to the mini generator, donated by the Basking Ridge nonprofit SHARE, the children at Kangabusharo Primary School will have enough light to read by in the rainy months.


We thought it would be interesting to have Mr. Carruthers, who owns Creative Energy in Millington, come to BHPL in case anyone is interested in going solar here in New Jersey. He'll be here this Saturday, February 26 at 2 p.m. to talk about residential solar electric systems, the installation process and the incentives you can get for going solar in New Jersey. Terry Carruthers is LEED and BPI certified. You can sign up for this program online.

Solar energy is also the theme of this month's book display at BHPL. Two of my favorites: 50 Green Projects for the Evil Genius by Jamil Shariff (pictured above) and Got Sun? Go Solar : Harness Nature's Free Energy to Heat and Power Your Grid-Tied Home by Rex Ewing and Doug Pratt.

By the way, how cool it would be if BHPL were powered partly by solar energy? Especialy because Bell Labs (of Murray Hill, so New Providence and Berkeley Heights can both claim the honor) invented the silicon solar cell.

Turning Tables by Heather and Rose MacDowell

Turning Tables is a quick, fun read about a 20-something out-of-work marketing manager who finds herself waiting tables at one of the nicest restaurants in New York. Her father's friend uses his connections and lies about Erin's non-existent waitressing experience to get her the job, which makes for many hilarious scenes (especially when a really important food critic asks to be seated at one of Erin's tables).

Erin has a love interest of course, a cute, generic guy who in chick lit fashion, could be played by any rom-com actor in Hollywood. But the owner of the restaurant and his demanding wife make wonderful villains, along the lines of Miranda Priestly in The Devil Wears Prada and Mr. and Mrs. X in The Nanny. Also enliving: two of Erin's friends, a gay waiter who spends his days auditioning for Broadway, and a pet portrait photographer.

Happy Birthday, George (I Think)

Mary Todd Lincoln took a break from the hereafter and visited a packed audience at BHPL today. OK, so it was really a performance by Mary Ryzuk of Traveling Stage, which included real tea. Not being a Jersey librarian by birth, I didn't dare tell the first lady about the no food or drink rule.

Did you know that some of Mary Todd Lincoln's siblings fought for the Confederacy? You can read about it in House of Abraham: Lincoln and the Todds, a House Divided by War by University of Georgia historian Stephen Berry (at 973.7 BER in nonfiction).

Mary's bizarre behavior made her a controversial first lady. Her son Robert had her declared insane and committed to an asylum in 1875, which you can read about in Barbara Hambly's novel The Emancipator's Wife (at FIC HAM in fiction). Critics called Hambly's book "enthralling" and "compelling."

When I booked the Mary Todd Lincoln program as a (somewhat early) celebration of Presidents' Day, I didn't know about the holiday kerfuffle. What you call the holiday on Monday, February 21 is a matter of some confusion. The reference book Chase's Calendar of Events lists both: 1) Presidents' Day and 2) Washington, George: Birthday Observance (Legal Holiday).

To make things more confusing, when Washington was born, the Julian calendar was in effect. His birthday, February 11, became February 22 when Britain changed to the Gregorian calendar in 1752. The federal goverment celebrates his birthday on the third Monday of February. If I were Washington, I'd celebrate my birthday on all three of those days.

What to Read to your Scottish Deerhound

Break out the shortbread and tea or, even better, a single malt Scotch and haggis treats, the Scots have conquered Westminster again this year (Dog Show, that is.) Congratulations to Hickory Wind, the Scottish Deerhound who won Best in Show at the Westminster Dog Show last night. Last year Scottish Terrier Sadie won Best in Show. This calls for a list of Scottish authors to read, with or without your Scottish dog by your side. Some of our favorites here at BHPL are:


The librarians here have almost a cult following for Kate Atkinson's novels, try Case Histories for starters.

If you like Kate Atkinson's dark, intricately plotted mysteries, try Val McDermid. For lighter fair, read Isla Dewar.

M.C. Beaton's Hamish Macbeth mystery series for fans of "cozies" make sentimental Americans want to move to the Highlands (well, maybe not in winter). BHPL also has the DVD's of the BBC's Hamish Macbeth starring Robert Carlyle.

Alexander McCall Smith's 44 Scotland Street series takes you to an apartment house in Edinburgh and the lives of it's residents.

Iain Banks' The Crow Road tells the story of an eccentric family living near Glasgow.

Your Scottish dog might like you to recite the poetry of Robert Burns and if you can't get your mouth around those Gaelic sounds, this website has recordings of several of his poems.

And finally, I just discovered The Shetland series by Ann Cleeves. She is not a Scot, but the setting of the mystery series is.

Related Websites:


Tartan Noir


Burns Country


Books from Scotland

Happy Valentine's Day!

Rejection…How to deal

by Robert J. Daniher

As we approach yet another Valentine’s Day with many couples canoodling in secluded corners, there are still others who are without a sweetheart to share it with. So what better writing topic to discuss than rejection. This is something everyone is familiar with -- especially writers. But everyone may not know the best way of dealing with it. The good news is that rejection can be one of the best tools to become a better writer. The first thing to remember is that editors reject submission for many reasons and not always because your writing stinks. It could be that your story or novel doesn’t fit what they were looking for or perhaps they already bought something similar and don’t need another. What’s important is to not be discouraged by it. Keep writing and keep submitting. I once had a conversation with Elizabeth Zelvin, author of “Death Will Keep You Sober”. She is a two time Agatha Award nominee who is also no stranger to rejection. When she asked me how many submission I’d sent out over the last several years, I sheepishly replied, “about 20 or 30.” She enthusiastically said, “Oh, you must send out hundreds and not be discouraged by the rejections. Just move onto another market and if you’re lucky you’ll get a rave rejection.” [Note: The rave rejection, although rare, is when an editor actually compliments your rejected submission explaining why it wasn’t selected. These moments are very helpful learning experiences.] Of course Ms. Zelvin also encouraged me to polish my work and make sure I was sending out my best. But the point is that rejection is part of the writing game and, unlike the dating scene, rejection in the writing world isn’t always personal.

Note from the BHPL bloggers: thanks, as always, to our blog contributor, New Jersey author Robert Daniher.  Happy Valentine's Day!